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Choosing a New Wedge

Today I received an email from a friend asking about wedges. He is a good golfer and getting better all the time. He was talking about which wedge he needed from 110 yards. As we had played quite often, I was familiar with his game and was able to explain that he required a 52 degree wedge. As our discussion continued I realized that selecting the correct club is very important to all aspects of your game. So I did some research and this is what I came up with:

Pitching Wedge

A pitching wedge has a loft of about 48 degrees. This club comes with most sets and is used for long approach shots. The distance varies, but I suggest that it is used by most amateurs from 130 yards or closer.

Gap Wedge

Gap wedges range from 50 and 54 degrees. The distance the ball travels varies from about 110 to about 75 yards. It allows for a bit of action on the ball and probably used most of the time.

Sand Wedge

Sand wedges range from 54 to 58 degrees. Many players use a sand wedge for some approach shots as well as sand shots.

Lob Wedge

Lob wedges range from 58 and 62 degrees. The lob wedge allows for a greater amount of spin and is used to fly over hazards or when you are pin hunting.

One of the things to be aware of when purchasing a wedge is the bounce. The conditions of the course, especially the traps, will determine the bounce required when using a wedge. See Golfsmith.com for an explanation on bounce.

I use a 48 degree pitching wedge, 52 degree gap wedge, a 56 degree sand wedge and a 60 degree lob wedge. I have experimented with different lofts, but I have found that these wedges work best for my game.

Now back to my friend. Ultimately he made the best decision. He decided to try out a few wedges before making his purchase. He was going to try wedges with different loft, brand and bounce. I suggested that it was a great idea and thus has sparked the reason for this blog.

When picking a club, I recommend that you go the to range, golf store, putting green and practice with your intended choice. Most courses have demo wedges/clubs and will allow you to take them on the course for a test run. By doing a bit of research before you buy, you will be happy with your choice and likely lower your score.

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9 thoughts on “Choosing a New Wedge”

Jim- the newer game improvement irons in the last few years have the PW at 44 degrees and AW at 49 or 50 degree so it makes it more important to get the right wedges in between and fill in all the gaps.

For sure. I use a 52, 56, and 60 degree wedges. I found that I needed them to fill the distance gaps in my swing. Also, it helped refine my short game. Now, I cannot play without them. Thanks for the comment.

With the object of golf being to sink a golabfll in a cup with as few strokes or hits as practicable the tiniest mistake when referring to keeping your eye on the ball will simply balloon your score to an astronomic number. This technique basically can cause you to lose target your golfing ball and can end up in issues when you start your golfing swing. Instead when you look at your ball remain targeted and keep your concentration and eyes on the ball.

As many sets are removing the 3 iron, some are starting to replace it with a AW/GW (approach/gap wedge), which is normally somewhere between 53 – 55 degrees. I find the gap wedge a much more useful club than the 3 iron ever was for me, so happy to see the change. Until recently I never used a 60 degree, but toyed with it a bit in the second half of last season and tend to like it for chipping.

I did not know that the 3 iron is going away. I agree that the gap wedge is way more useful than my 3 iron. I use my 60 degree around the green to mostly hit over hazards. Additionally, it allows me to hit a softer shot most of the time. Thanks for the info on the iron replacement.

You can certainly still get sets with a 3 iron, but the last iron set I purchased new (Nike), didn’t come with a 3 iron just 4 – AW. I know many of the TaylorMade and Titleist irons sets are also 4 – AW now. At least when you buy them retail, I am sure through a pro shop you can still get them with a 3 iron.

Thanks. I have not bought a set of clubs in the past couple years. The last set (Cleveland Launchers) had a 3-4-5 hybrid. Actually, that is why I bought them. I find I can hit the hybrids more consistently that a regular iron. I try to take advantage of technology where I can.